


"Yours Truly, Flynn Taggart"

by KindieKritz



Category: Doom (Video Games)
Genre: (flynn is fucking huge okay don't judge me), (like rlly slow burn jfc), Angst, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Graphic Description, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Terminology (and Inaccuracies), Mentally Ill Characters, Mutual Pining, Neurodivergent Reader, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reader-Insert, Romantic Tension, Selectively Mute Doomguy, Sexual Tension, Size Difference, Slow Burn, So Much Awkwardness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:48:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27554863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KindieKritz/pseuds/KindieKritz
Summary: During the course of your medical studies, you'd learned a lot of things- how to properly disinfect and stitch back together a wound, how to pop back in a dislocated shoulder, how to push your body past human limitations in order to study during ungodly hours of the night...But you'd never learned how to properly deal with the terrifying prospect of demonic invasions, and by extension- possibly meeting your death at the hands of a beast from hell.But luckily for you, you were a quick learner on the job. Even more so after being saved by The Doom Slayer himself and forming an unlikely friendship with the giant space marine and his sentient intelligence friend, VEGA.However, the biggest lesson is yet to come. How to trust and put your faith in your newfound friend when facing a possibly world-ending demonic apocalyptic event? And, is that truly what you wanted to be to the Slayer... a friend? ... or perhaps something more?
Relationships: Doom Slayer | Doomguy/Reader, Doom Slayer | Doomguy/You
Comments: 63
Kudos: 149





	1. A Hell of a First Impression

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my first fic! I decided to finally try my hand at writing- after simping so much for Doomguy and eating up any and all possible fics, I sorta wanted to give back to the community in any way I could! My art is half decent, but I decided that perhaps some fiction would be appreciated instead? regardless, I hope you enjoy, and do let me know if there are any mistakes I missed or if there's any way I can improve!

**_“Hostiles, approaching the BFG 10,000!”_ **

You stood, frozen in terror and fear before the grand glass window overlooking Mars. 

Your colleagues and seniors frantically ran around their workstations, desperately trying to figure out a solution, almost as if the issue was a simple system glitch and not a fucking demonic invasion.

What good would your research and studies do against creatures that were multiple times your size? Creatures whose sole purpose was to murder and maim those that came across their path, and currently, the ones who stood in their way were you and your team. Would they be quick in ending your life? Would it be over in a span of a few seconds, or would they drag out your suffering, slowly watching the life fade from your eyes? Would they force you to watch as they killed your colleagues and friends? Without realizing it, silent tears began to fall from your eyes.

You didn’t want to die.

Not like this.

You fell to your knees, your breath seemingly trapped in your lungs. You tried to breathe, you tried to gasp, but the very same fear gripped your chest and made it impossible for the desperately needed oxygen to enter your system. You became numb to the world around you, the current situation slipping from your mind as you became engulfed and swarmed in your own panic. 

You stared out the window at the grotesque demons that swarmed by, you heard the shriek of the alarms, the shouts and cries of your colleagues as they frantically ran to and from their stations, you felt the warm tears as they ran down your cheeks, the disgusting, salty taste as they ran over your parted lips, chapped and dry as you desperately inhaled and exhaled. 

You physically existed at that moment, you physically felt and experienced these sensations, but they barely registered in your mind. The all-consuming terror made you nearly blind to those around you. Your vision started darkening, and what little your mind could faintly register was beginning to completely fade.

But amidst that overpowering wave of horror that you felt, you managed to find an unexpected lifeline. 

You suddenly heard the voice of a college cry out in fear and awe, “Oh my god... it’s _him.”_

Your racing mind halted to a stop. You quickly turned around, trying to see for yourself who was the mysterious intruder, but from your position on the ground and the scientists obscuring your sight, all you could catch were brief glimpses of his massive armored form.

You had to see the man for yourself. You just had to. If this was the person who you thought it was, perhaps you had a chance. Perhaps you could have hope. 

But you had to see him first, to make sure this wasn’t just a dream or vision.

You used the sleeve of your coat to wipe the tears from your face, a sudden determination bubbling from within propelling you forward. Using the desk as support you managed to pull yourself up back onto unsteady feet. Your knees buckled in protest, but you pushed yourself forward, taking your first unsteady steps. 

In a parallel fashion, the heavy footsteps of the armored man echoed throughout the room. Each powerful step he took made you tremble. You could almost _feel_ the sheer power radiate from his massive form, even with how far you stood from him. You could now see how your once stoic senior researchers would yelp and step- no, _cower_ away from his presence. They were desperate to get away from him but not as desperate as you were to get to him.

You were closer now, you just had to squeeze past through a small group of researchers huddled together and you’d have a clear line of sight. 

**_“They’ve overrun the lower levels!”_ **

You mumbled rushed apologies as you pushed your way through, cursing the fact that you were so much shorter compared to those around you blocking your way. At this point he was getting close to the end of the room, you were going to miss him if you didn’t hurry. You’d never get another opportunity like this again. You’d miss seeing him, and it’d be your fault for being too _fucking slow._

Manners be damned, you shoved your way past the last of your colleagues and ran towards the end of the room, avoiding the stairs but instead taking cover behind the computer next to the exit.

Your heart was pounding, your palms were sweaty and clammy, and you felt like you were going to puke. But as you quickly peeked out from behind the desk you were able to clearly see him for the first time. 

The Doom Slayer.

It was him. It was actually him… 

You ducked down to the safety behind the desk, a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. Maybe there was a chance you’d make it out alive after all? Maybe you’d make it through this thanks to the Doom Slayer’s help? 

For the first time in quite a while, you began to feel something stir in your chest. Hope, perhaps? But that didn’t quite describe it completely. Maybe excitement, or giddiness?

Regardless, you decided to take another chance and try and discreetly peek at the Slayer once again. The scientist working at the desk hadn’t seemed to notice him yet, the blond man too engrossed staring at his computer monitor, blind to the utter chaos around him. But you had to take advantage of the opportunity you had.

Poking your head out from safety, you could now take the opportunity to check him out- er, rather, to simply look him over properly. 

From this position, you could see just how truly massive he was. He easily towered over you, hell, you assume that he would still tower over you even if he wasn’t in armor. But not only that, but you could also see that his arms were built like damn tree trunks. Muscle forged in the heat of battle rippled as he advanced on the walkway. You felt your heart flutter as he walked closer. 

**_“Corporate says we should let them through!”_ **

“What? Why?!” The scientist bemoaned as he finally ripped his attention from the computer screen, only to turn in his chair to meet face to face with the Slayer himself.

Your heart pounded as the Slayer approached the scientist. He pathetically tried to roll away in his chair, and you felt the familiar sensation of fear as the Slayer extended an armored hand towards the man’s chest.

You suppressed the urge to scream as you heard the strangled breath of the scientist, you gripped the edge of the desk until your knuckles turned white and tightly shut your eyes, you didn’t want to witness a member of your team die, especially when you were so powerless to stop it.

But instead of hearing the man being choked to death, you heard the rolling of the chair again. You opened an eye, and noticed that the Slayer was not grabbing the man by the throat as you feared, but rather the Slayer was using the man’s keycard in order to open the door. The keycard was still attached to the man’s lanyard, the lanyard itself actually choking the man as it was pulled, but he was in no grave danger. 

You quietly sighed in relief, thankful that you didn’t have to witness a murder that day.

You watched as he held the card in his big hand and gave himself access to the next room. The back of your mind registered that the scientist was able to take a deep breath once the card was released, but truth be told, the Slayer was the center of your attention. Try as you may, you just couldn’t keep your eyes off of him.

However, for a very brief moment, you had an intrusive thought. One that you did not expect, nor one that you prepared for.

‘God, I wish that were me being choked by the Doom Slayer’.

Christ, this was _not_ the time to have those types of thoughts right now. You mentally scolded yourself as you felt your face flush, and you tried to quietly back away from the desk, hoping that the Slayer would be distracted enough to not notice you as you slipped away.

Or at least, that was the plan, but in your embarrassment, you failed to notice the gigantic power cord wrapped around your foot.

You yelped as you fell ungracefully to the floor, sending a stack of papers flying through the air and causing all eyes to fall on you.

You felt a shadow loom over you and the unmistakable feeling of being intensely stared at.

You slowly lifted your head, your eyes slowly trailing from the bottom of his bloodied boots, up to powerful armored legs, across his impossibly broad chest, all the way until your eyes settled on his visor. The glare from the lights making it impossible to see his eyes. But you just _knew_ he was staring at you.

You trembled as you realized just how _vulnerable_ you were at that moment. There you lay, sprawled at his feet and at his mercy.

But even worse, you stood in his path.

You very literally obstructed his path to one of the most powerful weapons mankind had ever created or harnessed before. You knew that even if you had wanted to, you were powerless to stop him from taking what he wanted. The guards of this facility cowered in his presence. Men with years of experience and training, their faces paled as soon as the Slayer was mentioned. If he had that sort of power, that sort of control over these men, what would he do to you?

The air was tense as you stared at one another. Nobody dared speak, nobody dared move a muscle in the fear of becoming the next target of the Doom Slayer’s wrath. But at that moment, your colleagues did not exist. You didn’t register the blaring alarms that rang overhead, nor the freezing cold floor as it pressed against your palms. 

At that moment, all that existed was you and the Slayer. Your gazes locked together in eager anticipation, waiting to see who was going to be the first to act or the first to crumble. 

“I, uhm… I’m really sorry, I, uh-“ you tried to speak, you tried to apologize. But his stare, _oh god his stare_ , it kept you pinned as if it were a physical weight trapping you. You stuttered pathetically and couldn’t get your words right.

Y’know, being ripped apart by demons didn’t sound so bad right now.

Then, unexpectedly, the Slayer and his massive seven-ish foot frame, placed his gun on the floor and slowly knelt down onto one knee and offered you an armored hand.

Your mind flashed to childhood stories of handsome knights in shining armor, who would come whisk their lovers away to live happily ever after.

His green armor wasn’t shining, it was covered in the blood and guts of demons he killed. But somehow, you had the feeling that this was better than whatever the old stories had to offer. 

Slowly, you placed your hand on his.

The first thing you noticed was that his armor wasn’t cold like you’d expected it to be. Certainly much warmer than the cold floor. 

Then you noticed just how big his hands were compared to yours. At that, your face somehow grew impossibly warmer, and you were sure that your face flushed to match. 

But the biggest surprise was just how gentle he was as he slowly helped you back up to your feet, using his other hand to make sure you were stable enough to stand on your own. You could feel the sheer strength in those arms as he touched you, but he was careful to not hurt you, treating you as if you were a fragile little thing made out of the most delicate glass. 

At that moment you realized that this was not just a man or a weapon meant to fight against hell’s army. He wasn’t just a being of chaos or wrath who only had destruction on his mind.

He was a man who had taken the time of day to help somebody up despite much _much_ more pressing matters to attend to. 

You stood, stunned into silence as your mind went blank. But he casually picked up his weapon and began to make his way through the open door as if nothing had happened. 

He was leaving. Back to his quest to attain the BFG and fight in the war against hell’s demons. 

But… now you were worried. What if you never saw him again? What if he got hurt, would he be okay all by himself?

You bit your lip as you turned to watch him stride across the next room. The guards bolted aside to let him through as he approached the exit. These were the last few moments before he’d leave, you had to say something, but what?

Before you knew it, your voice betrayed you by calling out to him.

“Hey! Mister Doom Slayer… sir?”

He paused his step as he stood in the doorway. You saw as he slowly turned his head, almost as if waiting for you to speak.

“I… uhm, I just wanted to say… uh,” you swallowed, trying to will away the nervous tone in your voice. You took a deep breath. You had to thank him, it was the very least you could do. 

You raised your head and smiled brightly as you spoke, “Thank you. Not only for what you did back there but… for everything. Thank you… please stay safe out there.” 

You didn’t expect him to respond, you expected him to just walk away. Instead, he gave you a moment’s pause, almost as if he was in thought. Then he raised an armored hand and gave you a thumbs up. 

It was a tad bit awkward, but in some odd way, you found it incredibly charming. You might even say it was adorable to watch the giant hulk of a man do such a casual gesture.

He stepped through the door and out of your line of sight as the doors shut behind him. 

You didn’t know if you’d ever see the gentle giant ever again, but you sure hoped so, because the thought of just holding his hand again made your heart skip a beat.

You smiled to yourself this time. The next time you’d see him would hopefully be under better circumstances.

* * *


	2. Why Unpaid Internships Should Be Banned Under the Geneva Convention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally planning to post this a few days after the first chapter but I am impatient and I wanted to do it now... so I hope you enjoy? :P

Today was not your lucky day.

Firstly you’d overslept that morning, leading your superior doctor to scold you in front of your fellow interns. Then you’d dropped a hot cup of coffee down your legs, staining your brand new white lab coat and giving yourself a _hell_ of a burn. And after that, you were then given the task of delivering paperwork _to the other goddamn side of the facility._ As if they couldn’t digitally send it themselves.

But your shitty morning paled in comparison to the events currently unfolding.

Your heart pounded in your ears as you tried to run.

Keyword; _tried._

You were almost certain that your leg was sprained, if not fractured considering the amount of swelling and the fact that every single step caused a sharp pain to run down your leg.

But you didn’t have a choice, you either ran for your life or you would be horrifically and painfully killed by the demon hunting you down.

Since The Slayer last ‘visited’ the ARC facility and had taken control of the BFG in order to… shoot a hole into the surface of Mars, demon attacks had been less common. You imagined that they took a few days to lick their wounds sustained during the fights against the Slayer. 

But now they’ve broken into the facility again, determined to repay the favor and destroy whatever they could.

Usually, you’d just evacuate to the safety of the inner facility amongst your fellow scientists and researchers. But it seemed as if life had something different planned for you.

That being this infernal beast, hot on your heels and thirsty for blood.

Your blood specifically.

You’d heard some of the guards speak of their encounters with these creatures. ‘Pinkies’ they’d called them, but their appearance does not live up to the adorable name they were given. 

Its lumbering, hulking body easily kept pace with you. You didn’t dare turn back for fear of catching another glimpse of its horrifying plated face. You could almost feel its disgusting breath on the back of your neck, if you stumbled or fell, it’d be all over for you. Any little mistake and you’d be dead. 

Your first mistake had given the creature the opportunity to swipe at your leg. You greatly regretted it with every painful step you took.

You sharply turned a corner, the Pinky behind you falling prey to its own momentum and crashing headfirst into the steel wall, causing the ground beneath you to tremble and shake due to the sheer force of the impact.

You nearly stumbled, but quickly managed to regain your footing and flee. This would only buy you a precious few seconds as the stunned beast would regain its senses, you needed to think of something, _and quick._

Thankfully you had your first stroke of luck that day. As you ran down the corridor your eyes landed on the familiar doors of the cafeteria! If you could make it, perhaps you could barricade yourself and buy some more time.

You burst through the double doors of the cafeteria, frantically searching for anything you could attempt to barricade the doors with. 

Beside the double doors, you noticed the vending machines that you so often frequented during late-night shifts and whenever you’d forgotten to eat lunch. They’d once provided you with meager nutrition and snacks, but now they’d provide you with protection as you began to tip the machine onto its side. You muttered a quick apology to the machine as it fell, spilling glass and assorted snacks all over the floor. You then pushed yourself to struggle past the pain, shoving as many cafeteria tables and chairs against the door as your small frame could handle.

You felt exhausted, covered in sweat and grime. You panted, your breaths labored and uneven as you pushed your body further and further.

The pain radiating from your leg would not stop, but the adrenaline pumping through your veins kept you going. You couldn’t afford a moment of inaction. You had to find refuge… somewhere. 

As you looked around the room you noticed one of the tables that you couldn’t physically move. It was the table where you usually sat, away from the other scientists and researchers. It wasn’t much in the way of shelter, but it was better than standing in an open room, open to attack. You dropped to your knees, muffling a cry of pain as your leg protested, but you managed to crawl underneath and use the table as some sort of shelter. 

You breathlessly chuckled to yourself as you thought over your situation. Just a few days ago you sat at that very same table with your friend and fellow intern, having lunch together… 

* * *

“And then, just as soon as I was about to leave, I tripped and fell right on my face! _Right in front of the Doom Slayer himself!_ H-hey! Stop laughing!”

You pouted at the young man, a kind spirit, and your best friend. Although he worked in the research division of the ARC, the two of you had become fast friends after an unfortunate incident left you both without your lunches and sharing snacks from the vending machine. Since that day it’s been a tradition to purchase one another treats on the days you’d share lunch break together.

The intern laughed and removed his glasses as he wiped a tear from his eye, “Sorry, but I really didn’t expect you to tell me that you _face-planted_ at the Doom Slayer’s feet! I mean, I’m jealous that you got to meet him at all, don’t get me wrong, but you choose a hell of a way to make a first impression, huh?”

You rolled your eyes at his gentle teasing. You knew you’d eventually get him back somehow, but for now, he gleefully chuckled at your embarrassing predicament. But his laughter was contagious, soon enough you found yourself laughing with him.

As he regained his composure he excitedly asked, “So, what was he like? Did he say anything? Did he just like, walk around you, or did he like, step over you?”

“No! Uh, surprisingly…” your cheeks flushed pink as you remembered the events of that day. The way he knelt on one knee and offered you a hand, the way his muscular arms gently supported you as you stood, the way he _loomed_ over you on the floor… 

You shook your head, now was _not_ the time to jump into that rabbit hole.

“He helped me up. Y’know, like a normal person would. That’s all.” You avoided his gaze, instead choosing to stare intensely at the package of Coco Cacos in your hand, almost as if it had suddenly become the most interesting thing in the world.

“So… he just helped you up?”

“Yep!”

“Nothing else? Anything at all?”

“Nope! Not at all… why would you think something happened? Nothing happened at all… hey, don’t you think it’s pretty morbid that they based an entire chocolate brand off of the demons that try and kill us on a daily basis? I mean, what kind of genius in marketing thought that was a good idea… right? Isn’t that, uh, funny?” You nervously laughed and pointed to the carton of chocolates as if to punctuate your point, hoping that he would take the bait and fall for your distraction. 

“You know I can tell you’re deflecting, right?”

“... that obvious, huh?”

“Well I mean, your face resembles a tomato and you haven’t been able to look at me in the eye for the last five minutes… so I’d say that it’s pretty obvious.”

You put your face in your hands and groaned. Your… feelings… for the Slayer were complex, at best _._ You couldn't exactly describe them yourself, how were you supposed to explain it to someone else?

To put it simply, you didn’t know how you felt. 

You’d met him just once and you’d already found yourself absentmindedly thinking about that mysterious armored man as you went about your day. It didn’t matter if you were taking a patient’s vitals for the doctor on call that day, brushing up on your anatomy, or perhaps doing some tedious paperwork, you couldn’t help but wonder how he was doing. 

Wherever he was, you hoped he was alive and well.

You felt a nudge in your arm as your lunch mate spoke, “Hey, you still with me? You’ve been staring off into space- well, metaphorically speaking, of course, there are no windows here. But you still owe me an explanation as to why you’ve been deflecting.” He smiled kindly as he spoke, letting you know that his words were in good faith. You knew that your friend only had the best of intentions for you, despite his teasing. He was an absolute ray of sunshine sometimes, and you were glad to have him by your side.

“... okay, I know. And you’re right. I’ve been deflecting a bit. It’s just… Do you ever think about the Slayer? I don’t mean like _the Slayer,_ but I more so mean like, the guy underneath all that armor. What do you think he does when he’s not fighting? Where does he go once the fight is over? He can't fight forever, he’s human like you or I… right?” 

“I’m sorry if it’s stupid.” You paused, taking a moment to carefully try and express yourself as clearly as you could. You even debated shutting up altogether, but at this point, you just knew that you had to get this off your chest. You fiddled with your hands as you tried to burn off the anxiety that welled in your chest. “It’s just… that day made me realize that… well, he’s not as inhuman as we once thought. He’s sorta become an icon of sorts, almost a legend even. But despite all of that… it seems like being the Slayer is a pretty lonely job.”

You looked towards your friend, expecting him to laugh or perhaps crack a joke at your expense, but instead, he quietly nodded along at your words, seemingly taking what you had said into consideration. 

“I hadn’t really thought about it before. But you aren’t wrong, he’s always fought alone as far as we know. I mean, he’s clearly capable of doing so much and surviving against all odds. But if he’s human like you and me, it’s gonna affect him sooner or later. Humans are social creatures, regardless of whether you’re the Doom Slayer or not.” He pauses for a moment and hesitates his next sentence. He glances at the people around him, scientists, doctors, and guards alike. Then he turns back to you and lowers his voice as he speaks, “Truthfully, I think ARC should become allies with the Slayer. Not only did he basically save our asses already, but I think that we can accomplish so much more if we work with him.”

You nodded, agreeing with your friend wholeheartedly. You’d felt relief that he thought similarly to you, and you were thankful that he didn’t tease you for your thoughts and recent behavior.

“Besides, if we got to work with the Slayer, perhaps you’d get to see your _Doomguy_ more often~…”

You took it back.

This man was a little shit.

You quickly stood from the table, Coco Cacos and paperwork in hand, “Anyways, I’m leaving.”

“What, so soon? It’s not my fault that you literally _fell_ in love-“

_“I said I am leaving, and I am never coming back.”_

He laughed as you pouted at him and his teasing.

“So,” He continued as he himself finished the last bite of his sandwich,” same time next week?”

“Sure, the treats are on me next time. Take care up in research!”

“I’ll hold you to it, see you next week!”

* * *

You tried to make yourself as small as you possibly could as you held onto the table for dear life. 

By now, the beast was ramming itself against the door, angrily snarling and squealing as it tried to break through. You felt your heart jump in your chest with each consecutive slam against the door.

The impacts caused the overhead lights to sway and the walls to shake. Dust fell from the ceiling, making your eyes water and making you want to sneeze. 

You held it in. As much as you wanted to sneeze, or as much as you wanted to scream and sob in fear and pain, you swallowed it down as much as you could.

But despite all of your precautions, it broke through.

With one big **slam** against the cafeteria doors, it broke through your reinforcements, sending tables and chairs flying in all directions. The heavy vending machine skid across the floor, almost as if it didn’t weigh hundreds of pounds. 

The crash of metal against metal and the screech of the machine skidding across the floor startled you enough to cause you to bite your lip, _hard._

You felt the bitter taste of copper in your mouth as you bled from your lip, you could feel the pulsing of your beating heart throughout your body as it raced, adrenaline surging through your veins. 

From underneath the table, you could catch glimpses of the creature as it breathed heavily, evidently, it had winded itself from the effort it took to break through. Not only that, but blood was dripping from a fresh gash on its head. 

If this thing was pissed before, it surely was _furious_ now.

It angrily looked around the room, throwing tables and chairs in frustration as it searched for its prey- as it searched for _you_. 

The force of the throws caused furniture to fall apart on impact. As if they were held together with nothing but sticks and craft glue, pieces flew across the room. But out of the corner of your eye, you caught sight of a broken table leg skidding by your hiding place. Sharp and jagged where it was ripped apart. It looked like it could do some damage. 

It looked as if it would make a good weapon. 

Your eyes flickered between the beast and the leg. You could perhaps try to reach out and grab it, prepare yourself for a fight. 

But what if it saw you? What if you took the chance and it ripped out your arm or something as you tried to reach for it? What the hell would you do with a shitty broken table leg, it's not as if you had any strength to cause some damage, much less to a _demon from hell._

The taste of blood and the agonizing pain in your own leg began to make you feel faint. You knew you were in no condition to fight. You would be slaughtered either way, all it would take was for the beast to throw you into the wall, perhaps snapping your spine on impact. Maybe it would crush you under the weight of its foot, enough to snap your ribs where they would impale your lungs. Or it’d rip into you with its jaws until you either passed or bled out. Regardless of how it kills you, it would be fruitless. You can’t defend yourself, you had nothing to gain from trying to fight it...

But… you also had nothing to lose.

As you realized that you may be experiencing your last moments alive, you decided that you weren’t just going to roll over and let this thing kill you, if you were going to die, you would die fighting.

Fear had held you back so many times during life, but you would not let it control your death.

You could perhaps try and wound it, maybe not enough to kill it, but enough to stop it from letting it hurt someone else.

You shuffled out from underneath the safety of the table, all whilst keeping an eye on the beast. You began to crawl your way towards the metal leg, careful to be as quiet as you could be. Your leg causes you great pain, almost enough to make you nauseous but you pushed through the agony. 

The creature was currently ripping apart the vending machine, easily shredding open metal and ripping apart the electronics. Although you felt a touch of sadness that the machine was now completely unsalvageable, you were thankful that it distracted the beast enough to not notice you just yet. 

You grit your teeth with every movement, crawling at a snail’s pace across the floor, but as you outstretched your hand you found that your fingertips could _barely_ brush against the metal.

You forced your beaten and exhausted body to push itself further as you stretched as far as you could. Everything hurt. Almost a blinding pain coursing through your body. You imagined that you would’ve passed out had it not been for the adrenaline right now. 

Your fingers finally wrapped around the cold metal, but as you began to slowly pull it towards you, you felt a warm sensation on your other hand.

You glanced down at the hand that was not holding the leg, the hand that currently supported your weight.

You noticed spots, no, rather _drops._

Drops of red. 

Drops of blood. 

Your blood.

Your lip must’ve been bleeding more than you imagined.

Suddenly, something got your attention. Or rather, something _missing_ had grabbed your attention.

The noise of the beast shredding through the machine, it had stopped.

You could almost _feel_ the blood drain from your face as you slowly turned your head to glance at the demon. 

It was scenting the air, something had grabbed its attention. 

It slowly turned its massive head in your direction, and your racing heart dropped when its eyes locked with yours.

_You had grabbed its attention._

The demon roared as it began to charge towards you, leaving the ruins of the vending machine behind.

After holding it in for so long, you finally screamed, but your feeble cry was easily drowned by the creature’s roars. In the span of a few seconds, it bounded across the room and made a beeline towards you, malicious intent reflected in its eyes.

It would be useless to try and run, your body had expended itself enough.

Now was the time to fight.

You summoned any last bit of strength you had in your exhausted body and you swung your weapon at the beast as it finally reached you, you felt as the metal pierced and drove itself into the roof of its open mouth, blood staining your hands as you held onto the makeshift spear for dear life.

The beast let out a horrifying scream as it recoiled from your unexpected attack, in the process haphazardly using an arm to throw you off, almost as if you were a wet rag tossed away.

You yelped as your body slammed against the metal wall, pathetically whimpering as your battered body fell to the floor below. 

You felt pathetic, you felt nauseous and tired. The blood of the beast coating your arms makes it even more difficult to drag yourself along the floor as you slipped and stumbled against smooth metal. But you struggled, you struggled even as the demon picked you up by the throat and raised you in the air.

Your hands feebly grasped and fought against the grip on your throat. Its claws dug into the soft flesh of your neck as it squeezed tighter and tighter.

You gasped and choked as your lungs were starved of oxygen. This was different from the times your mind went into a state of shock and panic prevented you from breathing normally, because this time you were conscious of the world around you, your mind wasn’t clouded with fear and numbed by the anxiety. You were hyper-aware of the leathery skin pressing tighter every moment against your throat, the way your feet dangled uselessly as the demon held you in the air, the way the beast almost _grinned_ at it relished at your struggle to break free, the fear in your eyes as you realized that this was going to be how you died.

Although the corners of your vision were beginning to darken, you didn’t regret a single thing. You did the best you could and all was now said and done.

Every single trivial worry and anxiety didn’t matter anymore. Any embarrassment you had for mistakes you might’ve made or awkward conversations was forgotten. 

You were going out, and you were going out fighting.

Your only regret was that you wouldn’t have the opportunity to pay your friend for the Coco Cacos he’d brought you.

And as your body began to go limp and your senses began to dull, you witnessed a chainsaw rip through the demon’s chest from behind.

Its eyes widened as it realized what had just happened. Over the span of a second, he went through the very same emotions that he’d caused you to go through. The hopelessness, the shock, and the overwhelming all-consuming fear that he caused you to go through flashed in his eyes at that moment.

His eyes glazed over and his grip on your throat went limp as he fell forward. Dead.

You fell, and this time you didn’t even have the energy to brace yourself for hitting the floor.

But that never came.

Instead, armored arms caught you just as you were about to hit the floor.

Your body was limp, you couldn’t muster the strength to turn to look at your savior. Instead, a familiar armored hand gently cradled your head as he held you in his lap. 

Through his visor, you were able to finally catch a glimpse of a pair of eyes, furrowed in concern and worry. 

You… you recognized who this was… 

You breathlessly chuckled as you found yourself smiling at the man. You got your wish to see him again.

Your voice was barely a whisper, but you found yourself greeting your savior,

  
  


“...Hey Doomguy...”

  
  


And then the world faded to black.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wish me luck for the next chapters lmao :')


	3. Sleeping Nightmares, Waking Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for a short Chapter Three, but you guys will also be getting Chapter Four today as well in order to make up for it! Please let me know what you think about the story, or if there are any mistakes I may have missed! I appreciate all of the lovely and kind feedback I have received this past week, thank you!! <3 (Do be mindful of a bit of a CW involving panic attacks in this Chapter!)

_ You couldn’t tell anymore if it was your tears or your blood that dripped down your cheeks. _

_ You wheezed and gasped as the hand of the infernal being crushed your windpipe, his clawed hands piercing your skin and now impaling themselves into your tender flesh.  _

_ This time you were choking on your own blood. You gasped for air, and yet all you could feel was the disgusting metallic taste of warm blood as it poured down your throat and into your airway. _

_ You had lost the ability to scream or yell, but you fought back and clawed at his grasp with your remaining functional arm. The left arm hung by your side, useless and limp, you were no longer able to control the paralyzed limb. _

_ You had watched as the infernal being ripped your colleagues from limb to limb, how it’s brethren slaughtered defenseless researchers and scientists as they tried to run and flee. Disgusting creatures of all shapes and sizes had murdered the people you loved and cared about without mercy or remorse. _

_ The halls of the facility you’d once worked at were painted red by the blood and innards of those who had perished. _

_ And now this… this skeletal horned man had deemed that it was time for you to join the fallen. _

_ It reveled in your suffering and pain, it had toyed with you for hours as it hunted you down the halls of the facility, raking its axe against the metal walls as it menacingly followed your every move with its glowing red eyes. The torture it had caused was not only physical but mentally as well. _

_ This… this felt wrong, this was wrong! _

_ It wasn’t meant to be like this! _

**_“I am detecting an increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure. Brain activity has spiked, showing an increase of adrenaline in her system.”_ **

_ Something- no…  _ **_someone_ ** _ was missing. _

**_“Slayer? Her vital signs indicate that she is regaining consciousness.”_ **

_ Someone was supposed to be here, someone was supposed to help! _

_ Where could they be? Time was running out, your vision was going white and you feared you didn’t have much time left. _

_ You stared back at those horrifying red eyes as they pierced into your mind and memory. Even if you had physically shut your eyes, they would be staring right into your core. His eyes, they would haunt your last moments of consciousness. _

_ And he was loving it. _

**“Slayer, I suggest you stand back, humans may have a negative reaction when coming off of anesthesia-“**

You had to do something, you needed to let this bastard know that he would not have complete control over your mind as he watched the life fade from your eyes.

You grit your teeth, and with all of your might, you finally mustered the strength and willed your vocal cords to  _ fucking work. _

And you screamed.

The room flooded with light, the horrifying red eyes disappeared along with the blood and the darkness. In their place stood a blurry figure.

You couldn’t distinguish the finer features of this person just yet, but… you were just so incredibly relieved that they didn’t have those piercing red eyes.

You didn’t know where you were, you didn’t know what was happening. 

You didn’t even realize that you had been openly sobbing.

Although you had tears that blurred your vision, the details of the person before you slowly became clearer and clearer.

It was a man.

He had short chestnut brown hair and stern brows. He had a strong nose and chin, and some (admittedly attractive) scarred lips.

But what caught your attention the most were his eyes.

Out of anything that had happened, what brought you the most relief at that moment was seeing something familiar.

You recognized those eyes, it was the same pair of eyes that gazed down at you with so much concern through the visor of his helmet as he held you in his arms.

There was no doubt in your mind, it was him.

Your Doomguy.

Before your mind caught up with your body, you threw your arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder as another wave of tears racked your body. 

He froze and tensed as your smaller frame crashed against his. But he didn’t pull back. He remained still as your tears stained the fabric of his shirt and as you held onto him with all of your might.

You pressed your face into his body, the reassuring feeling of having another human present there with you instead of another demonic creature overwhelmed your mind, and you felt yourself tremble and shake with every violent sob.

He didn’t move.

He didn’t move because he knew what it was like to have to go through moments like these alone.

Hesitantly, The Slayer let his hands fall to your back, before slowly letting his arms wrap themselves around you.

You gripped onto the fabric of his shirt and let yourself sob for as long as you needed. You let yourself enjoy having his strong arms protectively wrapped around your smaller body, you let yourself listen to the strong beating of his heart against his chest.

The beating of his heart brought you comfort. It made you feel safe.

If his heart was beating, he was alive. And if he was alive? Then you knew that he would do his hardest to protect you from the demons and from whatever wanted to do you harm. He was The Doomslayer after all, that… that was his job. Right? 

In the far corner of your mind, you  _ knew _ that you’d be so terribly embarrassed and ashamed of your actions once your panic wore off. You’d have trouble staring into his eyes and this would only intensify the anxiety you felt around him.

However, at that moment? You couldn’t bring yourself to care.

But then there was the point you didn’t know. You didn’t know that this moment of physical touch was just as helpful to you as it was to The Slayer.

Once your sobs had quelled and your breathing evened, indicating that you had fallen back asleep, he allowed himself the luxury of holding you in his arms for another moment.

How long had it been since he’d last felt the touch of another human being? Or how long had it been since he’d last felt any sort of non-violent contact? 

Honestly… he didn’t know.

He couldn’t remember… 

But he knew he’d have to drag himself away at some point. Vega was right, humans could react negatively when coming out of anesthesia… The last thing he’d want to do was scare you. He was just so much bigger compared to you. He wouldn't have blamed you if you had been terrified of him.

He gently removed your arms from around his neck, making sure to avoid waking you from your sleep in the process. He softly put you back against the plush pillow, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. 

He thought your hair was very soft. 

He… he should probably get back to bed he thought… tomorrow was another long day of fighting demons and kicking ass. But hopefully, he could look forward to seeing you conscious. 

He stood from the bed, and quietly walked towards the infirmary exit. He hoped you didn’t have another nightmare tonight, he had experience knowing how horrible they could be. 

He paused at the doorway, and he looked back, taking a glance at your resting form. 

He decided that he much preferred the expression you had when you were peacefully sleeping. 

He decided… he didn’t like seeing you cry.

Huh. He thought it was a weird thought to have about someone he’d just met. Perhaps it really was getting late, and he should really get back to bed. 

And with that, he walked out of the room, the door sliding shut behind him, and he walked back to bed.

.

.

.

…You both were blessed with a dreamless sleep that night.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After writing this I just wanted to give Doomguy a big ol' hug, poor guy :c  
> I promise Chapter Four will be much more lighthearted! ^^ I hope you enjoyed this Chapter nonetheless!


	4. Even Space Marines Have Better Healthcare Than The American Public

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just letting ya know Chapter Four is actually pretty long? I ended up having to cut it halfway when I was nearing a 4k word count! But it'll be worth it! The next chapter should be coming in the next couple of days, so do keep an eye out for that! Until then, enjoy! :3

…You felt cold.

You felt  _ really  _ cold.

It didn’t help that it was insufferably bright, you could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on.

Who had turned on the light in your sleeping quarters? Had you fallen asleep while studying those medical textbooks again? 

Slowly, you opened your eyes, blinking rapidly as they slowly adjusted to the room around you.

Wait. 

_ This was not your room. _

You immediately sat up and tossed the blankets aside. You realized that you laid on an unfamiliar bed, similar to the ones you treated patients in.

You awoke in… what you assumed to be an infirmary, of sorts? There was some sort of IV in your arm, injecting some clear liquid (you really hoped it was  _ just  _ saline) into your bloodstream. 

Obviously, someone was looking after you or taking care of you.

Shit, had you had too much to drink at an office party again? You swore if this was anything like the last holiday party, you were  _ so screwed _ , you promised yourself to never embarrass yourself again in front of your senior colleagues, you still hadn’t lived down the last event and-

Wait, this wasn’t an ARC infirmary. 

This… wasn’t like anything you’d seen at the ARC facility before.

There were stone accents on the walls and floor, the wooden sections of the floor appeared incredibly old and worn down _.  _ Certainly way more… rustic, then your own facility. You could almost call it  _ ancient _ in design, but the room hummed with power that sent chills down your spine.

Well, it could’ve been the power of the room, or perhaps the fact that you felt incredibly cold. After all, you only wore a gown-

No, wait… 

You looked down at yourself and what you wore. It was a black shirt, not a medical gown. 

A shirt depicting some type of graphic for a band (or perhaps something generally relating to music assuming by the guitars, you couldn’t tell).

A shirt that was several sizes too large for your smaller body, almost enveloping you in the fabric (No wonder you’d mistaken it for a gown earlier).

A shirt that smelled faintly of cologne, aftershave, and a scent you couldn’t quite place. It was certainly not unpleasant (unlike the overwhelming cologne some of your supervisors wore). You’d even go as far to say that it was familiarly comforting, in some odd manner.

But most importantly  _ you finally recognized that you were wearing a shirt that did not belong to you in any way, shape, or form, and that your own clothes were missing. _

You were screwed.

Looking around the room, you swung your legs over to the side of the bed when you became aware of a dull ache in your right leg.

There was gauze wrapped around your limb, the tight material keeping your leg in place. 

A splint? Why did you need a splint?

At least it wasn’t a plaster cast, implying that you had broken a bone, but either way, you couldn’t recognize the handiwork as belonging to one of your colleagues.

What the hell had happened?

Where the hell were you??

Your legs dangled a good foot or two above the stone floor, you didn’t realize just how high up you were until you’d looked down.

You couldn’t see if the bed had controls to manually lower it like the beds in your infirmary. You figured you’d have to brace yourself to jump, and hope you wouldn’t land on your bad leg. 

Well… here goes noth-

_ “I wouldn’t recommend you jump from that height, especially seeing as you have recently been injured, the probability of hurting yourself once again is very high.” _

A masculine voice seemingly came from nowhere and everywhere at once. Was it speaking to you? Who was that?

“H-hello? Who are you? W-where are you?” Your voice was hoarse, almost as if you hadn’t spoken for a long time. Your tongue felt like sand in your mouth, and you realized just how parched you were.

But that would have to wait, your first priority was finding the owner of the voice and finding out where the hell you were. 

“I detect an elevated heart rate and increased cortisol levels in your system. There is no need to worry, you are safe in The Fortress.” The voice chimed again. It spoke in a calm tone, vaguely reminding you of your computer’s virtual assistant.

“Wait,” You looked around, trying to desperately find this mysterious person, “What fortress? Where am I?”

“You are currently in The Fortress of Doom, the home and main base of The Doom Slayer. The Slayer brought you here after responding to a demonic attack on the ARC facility. I will alert him to let him know that you are awake, he should be here shortly.”

Wait…

The attack. The demon. You were running. You barricaded yourself, and when that failed you armed yourself and you tried to fight it. But suddenly it had you grabbed by the neck and it was going to kill you.

It was gonna suffocate you. You were going to die. You felt as it tried to squeeze the life out of you, as it held you in the air and you couldn’t breathe and your feet couldn’t reach the floor. It’s claws and hand as it squeezed at your throat, and-

...and then  _ He _ was there

And  _ He  _ killed the demon. 

_ He  _ saved you.

And then there was… it was a dream. Or rather a nightmare.

_ He _ came back and… and you clung onto his neck like a scared child. 

All because of a bad dream.

And… and now you would shortly meet him again, face to face.

What had happened to the facility? Your friends, colleagues… What had happened over the last two weeks _? _

The voice interrupted your thoughts, almost as if to stop your mind from overthinking and to preemptively answer the questions that would form in your mind, “The Slayer discovered you unconscious amongst the attack, he brought you here to recover from your injuries. You have been asleep for two weeks since the day of your initial arrival. In that time, both myself and The Slayer have been overseeing your recovery, as evidenced by the splint on your right leg.”

You glanced at your leg again, slowly extending your limb and feeling the muscles finally stretch and expand after an extended period.

It was sore, but it felt a hell of a lot better than what you last remembered.

In fact, you felt generally much better compared to the last time you were fully conscious. 

“Your injuries were quite numerous. Your rib cage showed that multiple ribs had become cracked, however most notably, your leg had sustained a fracture, leading to-“

“What type of fracture?”

The voice paused, almost in thought before replying, “Your leg was shattered in four pieces, this was a closed comm-”

“Comminuted fracture! I remembered from my studies!” You surprised yourself as you exclaimed out loud, unintentionally interrupting the voice in the process.

You sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck as you apologized, “S-sorry. I don’t exactly know why I said that out loud…”

The voice, proving itself to be quite patient, replied, “No need to apologize, it’s good to hear that your memory was not severely impacted.” You could almost hear the voice chuckle as it spoke, but you chalked that up to your imagination.

You almost chuckled yourself, but then you realized something.

“Wait, you mentioned I was asleep for two weeks… correct?” You glanced at the ceiling due to the voice’s lack of having an actual face to speak to.

“That is correct. Two weeks, three days, and twelve hours to be exact.”

“A comminuted fracture takes months to heal, requiring surgery and possibly ongoing physical therapy to recover. And somehow, I’m doing okay.” You lifted your leg as if to prove a point, but the sudden movement caused a twinge of pain to run up your leg.

You grimaced and tried to hide the pain in your voice as you spoke, “Well, I’m doing mostly okay…”

The voice replied, “Amongst other qualities, The Fortress has some rejuvenating qualities that help aid recovery. This is one of the factors that helped aid you in your recovery, but I am not at liberty to share more.”

Huh… 

Y’know what? After all the shit you’ve gone through and experienced recently?

That was a good enough explanation for you.

At least you now knew where you were. Apparently whisked away by The Doom Slayer to his secret base and home where he and a mysterious omnipresent voice (possibly God himself, you couldn’t rule that possibility out just yet), nurtured you back to recovery over the last two weeks.

You vaguely realized that the gravity of the situation hadn’t quite set in or registered in your mind completely, but you decided that you were gonna get over that bridge when you came to it.

“Are you hungry?” The voice spoke, interrupting your thoughts and bringing you back to the reality at hand.

“Well… now that you mention it I-“

Almost as if on cue, your stomach loudly growled, the noise seemingly magnified by the echo of the room.

Damn acoustics.

“I, uh… yeah. I’m starving.” You bashfully admitted as you played with the hem of the unfamiliar shirt. 

“As soon as The Slayer arrives, I will recommend he direct you to the dining area, where you will be able to get something to eat and drink. The human body needs sustenance and nutrients to run optimally, especially during recovery.” 

You felt excited at the prospect of a warm meal, even if you did feel nervous at the thought of meeting The Slayer once again. You cleared your throat, hoping that your stomach would “T-thank you… I, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I caught your name before? Who are you? If- if you don’t mind me asking?” 

“I am Vega, the sentient intelligence assigned to The Fortress of Doom.”

“Hello Vega,” You smiled as you told him your own name, finally having the opportunity of introducing yourself to one of the people- or rather one of the beings, that looked over you the last two weeks. Sure, your first introduction consisted of you shivering in a medical bed, but it felt comfortable speaking to the kind voice as you walked. 

“Hey, Vega? Thank you. Not only for today, but for everything you’ve done for me so far.”

“Of course, you are a guest of The Slayer’s, I am happy to provide assistance whenever needed.”

You wondered if it was just the phrasing of the statement, or was he truly happy? Was he as sentient as he claimed he was? 

You certainly hoped so. 

“So… Vega? One last question, b-before The Slayer gets here…” 

“Go ahead.”

“I, uhm… do you… by any chance happen to know whose shirt I’m wearing right now?”

“That shirt belongs to The Doom Slayer. During your care, it was necessary to remove your bloodied clothing, The Slayer retrieved this shirt from his personal wardrobe to keep your temperature from dropping to suboptimal levels.”

Oh, okay.

This wasn’t just  _ any _ shirt.

_ This was The Doom Slayer’s shirt. _

“T-thanks for letting me know Vega…” 

The crushing reality of your situation was beginning to finally register in your mind.

You were whisked away by  _ The Doom Slayer _ to his secret base and home where he (being,  _ The Doom Slayer _ ) and a mysterious omnipresent voice (Named ‘Vega’, a sentient intelligence, possibly still god himself, you hadn’t ruled out that possibility) personally nurtured you back to recovery over the last two weeks.

And now you stood in  _ his home. _

_ Wearing his  _ **_shirt_ ** _. _

You realized the bridge was here, but you were having trouble getting over it. 

Just as you were wondering if it was somehow possible to throw yourself into the void of space in order to avoid having to face your situation, your racing mind was interrupted by Vega as he announced, “The Slayer has just arrived in The Fortress, he should be arriving at the infirmary shortly.”

And as he spoke, you could hear the heavy thudding of his steps through the massive door. 

Oh god, what would you say? “Oh hey! Thanks for saving my ass and taking care of me for the last two weeks! Sorry for having an emotional breakdown on ya earlier. Do you want your shirt back, or can I keep it as a memento?”

God… that was awkward. This whole situation was awkward. 

You knew you had to thank him. Without him, you would have probably ended up as a dark red smear on the ARC cafeteria floor. But this wasn’t a situation where you could thank him by purchasing some Coco Cacos in return, he had  _ saved your damn life! _ How do you even  _ begin _ that conversation??

You heard as the footsteps got progressively louder and louder as he got closer. You felt a dizzying feeling of excitement, fear, nervousness… and there it was again. That feeling you couldn’t place before when you’d first seen him face to face.

It couldn't be hope, it made you feel too anxious, but it wasn’t unpleasant like fear or terror either.

The footsteps were right outside the door when they paused, making you wait in eager anticipation for what was to come. You could almost hear your heartbeat in your ears and the blood drain from your face as you stared.

It was only a few seconds, but after what felt like an eternity the door finally slid open.

That familiar armored giant stepped into the infirmary, just as big and intimidating as you remembered him.

You’d even noticed that there seemed to be fresh blood on parts of his armor, had he just come back from a mission? 

He took a few steps into the room before he stopped… and stared.

You could feel his gaze through his visor, and you could feel as he gave you an inspectionary gaze. 

Oh god, you were right.  _ This was so awkward. _

You had to say something, or you knew else the silence would kill you. You wouldn’t be surprised if your heart decided to give out right there and then. 

“Uhm… hi!”

_ ‘What the hell kind of weak ass introduction was that?!’  _ You thought to yourself as you internally cringed at the sound of your voice.

But surprisingly, The Slayer shook his head at the sound of your voice, almost as if he had been distracted for a moment.

He slowly raised an arm and… waved.

This man… this same man who you had witnessed chainsaw a demon in half, was waving at you from across the room.

And it was adorable.

Your mouth felt incredibly dry, even more so than before. You nervously cleared your throat before you spoke, “I uhm, I met Vega shortly after waking up, he filled me into what happened when I was… well when I was comatose. He let me know that you guys have been helping me recover and looking over me… Vega is- uh, he’s a real neat guy- or, rather intelligence? But yeah, he’s been incredibly helpful…”

You noticed that he nodded, and you nervously chuckled in return.

Boy, this was going smoothly… 

Vega thankfully interrupted the awkward silence, “Slayer, I recommend you direct our guest towards the dining hall. She has not had a solid meal since her arrival. She could have a late lunch meanwhile you remove your armor and freshen up. It would be unhygienic to remain in your current set of armor.”

The Slayer looked down at his armor, almost as if he  _ just barely _ noticed the blood that coated his body.

You saw him nod in reply to Vega as he approached your bed, extending a hand in order to help you step down. Or rather- you thought he would simply help you down, but you couldn’t help but lightly squeak in surprise when his other armored hand dropped to your waist, supporting your torso as he picked you off the bed and back onto solid ground, careful to avoid any unnecessary harm to your leg.

And similar to the day when he first had helped you off of the ground, you felt his hands on your shoulders as he carefully made sure you were steady enough to stand on your own.

“I-I’m okay! Thank you!” You smiled as you spoke. You noted that he easily lifted you as if you weighed next to nothing, the thought of that alone made you feel incredibly giddy… must be all the excitement of the day, right?

The Slayer quietly nodded as he turned towards the exit, but his hand simply shifted from your waist to the small of your back, keeping you steady and gently using it to guide you to where you needed to go.

If earlier you had felt the blood drain from your face, now you felt as the blood came rushing back, leaving your cheeks warm and rosy.

You  _ really _ hoped The Slayer wouldn’t be able to tell through his tinted visor.

* * *

The Slayer silently led you down the many stone corridors of The Fortress. They twisted and turned, leaving you confused and slightly disoriented. You were glad you didn’t have to walk alone, you had a feeling that it was incredibly easy to get lost in this place.

His hand on your back sent shivers down your spine, and you found yourself focusing on the distracting feeling of his armored glove as it pressed against you.

He led you to a grand entryway with stone and metal accents, the doors sliding open as you slowly approached, revealing an impressively large dining room. The table stuck to the aesthetic and was similarly made of stone, easily seating at least ten to twelve people. 

But you were surprised to see that instead, there stood only one seat at the head of the table.

You had to assume that it was  _ his _ seat.

Did… did that mean he usually ate alone?

You glanced at The Slayer from the corner of your eye. 

It made you sad that a person like him was seemingly by himself.

Sure, he had Vega, but aside from the friendly intelligence, did he have any people by his side? Friends, family, or loved ones? You didn’t know much about The Slayer, you didn’t know what he was like, what type of personality he had, or even his damn name. 

But what you did know was that this was a person who had gone through a lot of trouble for you. A lot of trouble for a complete stranger. 

He seemed like a good person. You believed that he is a good person.

Someone like him didn’t deserve to eat alone.

After all, even  _ you _ had your fellow intern to join you during lunch.

You found yourself pouting as The Slayer removed his hand from your back, despite the fact that it had previously made you nervous, you found yourself immediately missing that contact.

He pulled the seat aside and mentioned that you sit, you followed his lead, careful to avoid bumping your leg. He even pushed your seat in, just like the men of the old romance earth movies you had seen in your past. You found that oddly charming. 

He made a motion with his hands, you assumed it was meant to convey that he would be right back shortly, then he left through the second set of stone doors off to the side. Perhaps a kitchen of some sort?

You sat in silence as you waited, looking around your surroundings and the room around you.

The seat was suited for someone like him, someone of his size and stature. If you had felt small before, you were absolutely dwarfed now. Especially with the high ceilings and the grand window that offered a beautiful view of the vast expanse of space outside. 

The table reminded you of some of the scenes that you’d seen in old earth movies where a family would sit around and enjoy a big Christmas dinner together. It was incredibly long, and the candelabra in the middle would provide some very cozy lighting if it had been lit. You even had an extensive set of utensils before you, much more elaborate than the plastic sporks you had used before.

But it was missing something.

It was missing people. People to enjoy each other’s company and enjoy the meal that they partook in together. It was missing friends and family… 

But before you knew it, the doors opened once again and The Slayer reappeared, this time with a plate in one hand and a drink in the other.

As he approached you couldn’t help but notice the delicious smell of whatever food was on that plate. At this point you felt as if you were ravenous enough to eat anything. You resisted the temptation to lick your lips as your mouth watered.

He placed the meal in front of you, and you couldn’t help but gasp. It was pasta! You hadn’t had pasta in such a long time! It was usually reserved for special occasions in the cafeteria, and you’d be lucky if you could get a serving before it’d run out.

You wouldn’t have to worry about that today however, you had an absolutely massive serving right in front of you! You’d never had such a massive serving before, but with just how hungry you felt, there was a good possibility that you’d eat the entire meal.

You tried to turn to The Slayer, but you were only able to catch sight of him just in time to watch as he stepped out the exit and back out to the hallway, the doors sliding closed behind him.

You lamented quietly to yourself, “Oh… I didn’t manage to thank him…” 

“If you wish to meet him after you eat, you may find The Slayer in the Main Hub after he showers and attends to himself. However…”

Vega paused, almost as if he were choosing his next words carefully.

“Do not be offended if The Slayer does not converse, or do not hold it against him if he does not speak. It is not in his nature to do so. I may interject to help him communicate at times, but I will stay out of any private conversation you may have, or attempt to have, with The Slayer.”

So he was the strong, silent type then? Although you were a bit disappointed as you’d hoped to speak with him, you didn’t mind. As long as he knew you appreciated what he’s done for you, that’s all that mattered.

“I understand, thank you for letting me know Vega.”

“Of course. I will guide you and let The Slayer know you are on your way as soon as you are ready. In the meantime, do enjoy your meal.”

Well, if there was one thing good about having to eat alone… is that no one would be there to witness or judge as you ravenously shoved the pasta into your mouth. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told ya Chapter Four would be a lot more lighthearted. I hope you enjoyed meeting Vega, and I hope I managed to get his demeanor and character correct! :D


	5. Not Quite Face to Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you so so much for your support on my first fic! It's been amazing the reception I've received so far, and I can't express just how thankful I am to those of you who have left kind words and comments! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! ^^

‘Did all humans frantically wolf down their food this quickly? Or was this simply an isolated behavior that managed to independently manifest across two different individuals?’ Vega wondered to himself as he recalled watching you eagerly consume your meal in the dining hall. 

It was a simple meal. Leftovers from The Slayer’s dinner the night before. It was surprising and out of the ordinary for The Slayer to leave food behind, but now he was glad for the deviation in behavior. Unknowingly, he had left a meal for you.

Vega recalled as you happily ate microwaved pasta as if it was the most delicious dish you ever had. He had assumed being unconscious for the last two weeks would leave you peckish, but he seemed to have clearly underestimated the drive of human hunger.

He would be almost impressed with how quickly food left your plate and into your mouth had he no prior experience with The Slayer and his massive appetite. After a long day of fighting and bloodshed, The Slayer came home exhausted and hungry. Thankfully they had enough food in storage to spare, even once they took into account the massive portions he normally consumed. 

Vega turned his attention back to you as you wiped your mouth with the back of your hand after greedily chugging your drink. You couldn’t help but sigh in contentment; your hunger was finally satiated and your throat no longer felt dry and scratchy.

You perked up as you heard Vega’s voice from above.

“How are you feeling after your meal? I hope it was to your liking.”

“Everything was delicious! The ARC cafeteria never served food as good as this, thank you both so much!” 

“You’re welcome. You mentioned wanting to thank The Slayer yourself, so you can find him currently located at the Main Hub. I can direct you there as previously promised. Do not worry about the dishware, The Slayer will take care of them later.” 

You felt a bit guilty knowing that The Slayer would have to clean up after you, but the image of his big armored form delicately washing the dishes made you chuckle to yourself as you stood from the table.

Your leg ached in response, but it was nothing compared to the nervousness you felt that began to bubble up.

* * *

‘Goddamn… why did there have to be so many stairs in this place?’ You questioned as you made your way throughout the fortress, hugging the wall for support as much as you could.

Despite having just woken up from a two-week-long sleep, you already felt as if you could use a nap, you would love the opportunity to remove the weight off of your leg. Maybe that would quell the slight pain you felt with each step.

And yet… the pain in your leg and the large empty hallways gave you a dreadful sensation of déjà vu. You couldn’t help but look over your shoulder at any given opportunity, almost expecting to see the red eyes of the demon that had attacked you once again.

Maybe… maybe that was a stupid thought to have. 

They had always said you had an active imagination after all… 

In order to keep your mind off of the dread, you instead tried to focus on just about anything else as you walked. Like the fact that there were still  _ so _ many stairs in this fortress.

‘Doomguy must have some great thighs if he’s doing all of this cardio all the time! Not that I’m thinking about his thighs or anything of course! Just… a hypothesis, based off of scientific and medical reasoning and whatnot…’

Perhaps it was better to keep your mind focused on the situation at hand as opposed to letting your imagination fall into a rabbit hole.

Thanks to Vega’s guidance, you managed to hobble your way through the winding halls, stairs, and corridors, eventually, you stood at the leftmost archway of the central Hub. Your eyes immediately glued themselves to The Slayer as he interacted with the hub’s interface.

His back was to you, he had not reacted to your presence just yet. There was a possibility that he had not noticed you just yet. 

His armor was thankfully now free of blood and grime, and you were impressed with just how quickly he had managed to clean it. But there was that part of you that was… disappointed. You couldn’t remember what he had looked like when you last saw him after your nightmare; your memory was fuzzy and unclear. But… at least you remembered his green eyes. 

He had pretty eyes. 

You wondered if you’d ever get the opportunity to see them again.

Regardless, you knew you had to stop stalling and you had to confront The Slayer.

But this man was not  _ just _ The Doom Slayer.

This was the man who had saved your life, the man who had helped nurse you back to health, and the man who had offered you a bed to sleep on. The very same man who let you cry into his shoulder, eat his food and stay in his home.

Once you stepped into the Hub, there would be no backing out. You couldn’t turn on our heels and run away once you had made yourself known. Firstly, there was the very literal issue of your leg physically preventing you from running, yet secondly, you felt that determination bubble in your chest once again.

The same determination that made you first break through your panic to catch a glimpse of him, the same determination that kept you fighting for your life as you fought that demon. That determination pushed you towards him, it pushed you to break through your fears and thank him for what he’d done. 

_ It was the very least you could do. _

But much like when you cried into his arms, much like when you cowered from the beast, and much like when you first hid from The Slayer’s sight behind the computer console… you still felt afraid.

You sighed, fists clenched by your sides and your head held high. 

You hobbled forward. 

You kept your eyes glued on him as you padded your way to the stairs that led to the center of the room. A suspended hologram of earth loomed above, engulfing him in soft blue light. 

With each step, you could feel your heart pounding and the butterflies in your stomach flutter about. You almost regretted having such a large meal so quickly—the last thing you wanted to do was to empty your stomach contents at The Slayer’s feet.

You quietly ascended the stairs to the elevated platform, the cold stone against your bare feet sending goosebumps to creep up your legs and arms. You wrapped your arms around yourself, but was it to bring yourself warmth… or comfort?

You didn’t know.

At this point, you could almost reach out and touch his shoulder. But that seemed like a bad idea. You couldn’t predict how he’d react.

Instead, you decided to speak.

“Excuse me? Mister Slayer, sir?”

The Slayer’s hands paused on the interface, and his head raised as he heard your voice.

You played with the hem of your shirt as you waited for him to react. Well, technically the shirt belonged to  _ him _ so you were playing with the hem of  _ his _ shirt, but that… that was not the issue at the moment.

As he slowly turned around, you could almost swear you felt the ground tremble as he stepped, and you clumsily took a few steps back as your eyes leveled with his chest. 

God, despite your previous interactions, you were always stunned at just how  _ big _ he was compared to you. 

“I, uh… It’s… it’s good to finally be able to speak to you! Or, well I mean— uh,”

_ God, this was going terribly. _

He awkwardly made a motion with his hand to his throat, and you quickly raised your hands and tried to interject, “Oh! Uh, don’t worry, you don’t need to… uh… Vega, h-he let me know ahead of time!”

He curiously tilted his head and pointed to the ceiling with an armored index finger as if pointing to a physical manifestation of the friendly intelligence.

“Vega, he let me know as I was eating! You don’t have to reply or speak back to me, I… I just…” you paused, trying to figure out just how to put the words you wanted to express in a way that would convey how you truly felt, “I just wanted to say something to you before I lost my nerve. W-Well, that is if you don’t mind listening to me ramble or if you’re not busy right now or something…”

He shook his head and nodded, almost as if to let you know that it was okay to continue.

Somehow, that small gesture made you feel a little bit better.

“I just- what I wanted to say… I wanted to say thanks. If you hadn’t shown up when you did… I would most certainly be dead right now. And out of all the ways to go, I can’t imagine that would be very pleasant.”

The Slayer listened as you spoke, casually leaning against the table and crossing his arms.

“You not only saved my life, but you and Vega helped me recover from my injuries, I would’ve been stuck at the ARC infirmary for months! I can’t stand being around my superiors that long, they’re always on my case, it would’ve been even worse being their patient! And… and it would’ve been a lot more painful having to deal with a broken leg for a couple of months too. I would’ve had to probably undergo physical therapy, I’d be out of commission for quite a few months. I would be more of a deadweight then I usually am…” you awkwardly chuckled to yourself, self deprecation was your go-to coping mechanism in awkward situations.

But The Slayer deeply listened to every word you spoke, regardless of how awkward you might have come off as.

“A-anyway… you didn’t have to do that for me. I would’ve been okay just staying with the ARC. But you went the extra mile for me, a stranger! And… I can’t thank you enough!” And just like you did during your first interaction, you once again smiled brightly at the Slayer.

“I mean, I just…” you stuttered, trying to find the best way to continue your thoughts, but out of the corner of your eye, something caught your attention.

It was funny, you were so fixated on speaking to The Slayer that you didn’t even notice the sight beyond the grand glass window behind him.

“Is…  _ is that Earth? _ ”

The question seemed to catch The Slayer off guard, but he quietly stepped aside in order to give you a better view.

The planet had massive cracks and tears illuminated by massive lava pools and fire. The land that was once green and beautiful had now become a dusty brown, the once abundant life long since extinguished from existence. 

This was your Earth. 

This was once your home.

“I’d seen graphs and images of just how bad things have gotten… but… I’ve never seen it up close.”

Your anxieties at meeting The Slayer were overshadowed and temporarily forgotten, your mind instead focused on attempting to truly comprehend the extent of the damage before you.

So many lives were lost. So many innocent people died in cruel and horrific ways. Nearly two-thirds of the human population had been slaughtered by the demonic invasion. You stood as one of the last remaining human beings alive, a testament to humankind’s resilience.

But one question rang throughout your mind. 

Why did you get to live another day when there were so many others who had perished?

What made you so special? 

Did some sort of cosmic being decide that you were special enough to let live, or was it chaotic  _ dumb luck _ that you were still alive and breathing?

…you honestly didn’t know.

You and The Slayer stood side by side, quietly watching Earth together. Sometimes a stray piece of debris would float by, sometimes you would see a small flash of light as an eruption or an explosion occurred. From your point of view, it was just all so small. All so minuscule.

Almost like how you felt as you stood beside The Slayer.

No words were spoken, but a sense of understanding befell the two of you.

This was all that remained of planet Earth.

You glanced at The Slayer, his visor making it impossible to read his expression. You didn’t know how he felt or what he thought. All there was in the glare of his visor was your reflection staring back at you.

_ ‘This was it. It was now or never.’ _ You thought to yourself as your gaze fell back on Earth, once again your emotions making you feel too nervous to look directly at The Slayer.

You broke the silence and spoke, “I… I also wanted to thank you. For fighting the demons… for fighting for  _ us _ . For humanity. For Earth.” 

The Slayer turned his head towards you.

“I don’t know how you do it. How you manage all on your own, or how you manage to stay alive despite seemingly facing death every single time you leave this fortress.” You sighed, the subject weighing heavy on your mind.

You finally turned towards The Slayer and asked, “Do you think we’ll make it through this? Do you think Earth will survive?”

He slowly turned his head back to Earth, almost as if in thought, before turning right back to you. 

And he nodded.

You let out a sigh you didn’t even realize you had been holding in and you softly smiled, “Thank you, for everything.”

And he made a motion with his hands in response, motioning from his armored form to yours. …was this a form of non-verbal communication?

You found yourself stammering as you tried to reply, “I’m sorry, I can’t understand—“

Thankfully, Vega came to your aid. 

“The Slayer communicates using sign language, he means to convey, ‘You are welcome.’ I can help translate on his behalf if you wish?.”

You smiled and turned towards the ceiling, “Thank you, Vega, that would be very much appreciated.”

“The Slayer has also previously asked me to let you know that he would return you to the ARC facility whenever you are ready. I would suggest a few more days of recovery considering your leg is still healing. You would benefit greatly from the Fortress’s rejuvenating properties.”

He was right, you’d have to go back eventually. 

Maybe your colleagues thought you were dead or something, they wouldn’t have known that you were safe with The Slayer. They wouldn’t have known that you were alive and that you were feeling better than before.

You bashfully glanced between the ceiling and The Slayer. You wanted to stay, but you already felt guilty enough imposing upon them like you already had. You replied, “T-thank you. I wouldn’t want to be a bother to you guys, you have both helped me so much already—“

You were surprised to see the Slayer respond by quickly shaking his head and raising his hands.

Even Vega, the normally reserved and polite personality, interjected and spoke, “Do not worry about that, it would be no issue to have you recover at The Fortress for a few more days. Besides, I believe some social interaction would prove to be beneficial to The Slayer.”

At that comment, The Slayer tilted his head towards the ceiling, almost as if he were  _ offended _ . You couldn’t help but smile and chuckle at the situation before you.

“Regardless,” Vega continued, “I would suggest that you get some rest and elevate your leg in order to prevent inflammation and discomfort as soon as possible.”

The Slayer turned and signed to you, Vega thankfully translated as he motioned, “The Slayer communicates that he will lead you to one of the extra bedrooms so that you may get some rest. He will also provide you with some extra clothing so that you may bathe and change if you wish.”

Well, now that they mentioned it, a shower and some sleep sounded  _ amazing _ right now. 

You nodded to The Slayer, and you had to bite your lip to keep from squeaking as he once again placed his armored hand on the small of your back to guide you through the fortress. 

But as he led you towards the center archway you  _ finally  _ noticed a familiar face. The same face that you saw on most ARC posters, the face once plastered on every news broadcast before the press fell, and the very same face that stood as a living embodiment, an  _ icon, _ of the organization. 

Or rather,  _ the familiar mangled corpse of your boss as he pathetically was suspended above a podium. _

**“D-Doctor Hayden?!”**

The voice of the ARC’s leader rang throughout the room as he addressed you by your last name.  _ “…good to see you conscious again.” _

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, Chapter Six may be a little bit late, it seems like it's gearing up to be quite the hearty chapter! Do let me know what you thought, I always appreciate comments and criticism :P

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading through the first chapter, I will update as soon as I can! Do let me know what you think, either in the comments below or on my social media! You can find me on Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram all under the user KindieKritz! 
> 
> Until then, stay simping uwu


End file.
